Succumbing to the Flames
by Rising-Wave
Summary: What if Aang couldn't take back the most difficult choice he's ever made? What happens when the world's last hope for freedom realizes that he is just a boy? A tale of love, and of hope. A tale of growth and of honor. This is the tale of the Avatar.


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I do not own Avatar: It is the property of nickelodeon studios, random lawyers, and some guys who probably get more tail than all of the readers combined (though not as much as myself of course) Don't sue. Or stalk. Or piss and moan when I don't upload more chapters in a timely fashion. Deal with it.

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_A time will come when the ancient will of fire will have strength no longer in the world of man. At this time, the world will turn to the one that it has shunned. In the midst of war and chaos; as blades clash and shields are shattered, their will come a time when love rules supreme over hate, and the bladed one will triumph over the darkness of man's heart. This is that Tale. This is the tale of the last journey of the Avatar, into the heart of the flame itself . . ._

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Chapter 1:

For Their Own Good . . .

_It is in times of great peril that we are called to find our true selves. It is in the finding of our true selves that we can truly understand what is precious to us. And it is in finding what is precious to us that our destinies are forged . . ._

Blue eyes opened to a dark grey, steel ceiling. The world was spinning. There was no order. All seemed lost in a haze of shadow and light. A young boy with blue tattoos of arrows on his head and arms sat up, loosely and in a daze.

Looking around and not seeing much, he tried to remember what happened. It all seemed like a blur to him.

There was fighting . . . that much he remembered.

There was fire . . . so much of it . . .

A fierce smirk on a dangerously beautiful face . . .

Lightning . . . there was a lot of that too . . .

And a beautiful face . . .

Still confused, he tried to sit up straight.

"AAAGH!!!"

All of the sudden, an amazingly sharp pain shot through him. More searing than anything he's ever felt in his life. Even more than the time that he fell from a spike on an airball field.

Favoring his front, he restlessly roamed his back, searching for the source of his discomfort. Suddenly, his fingers touched a spot of singed flesh directly in the center of his spine.

Roaming his fingers around it, he tried to feel its dimensions. From his scouting, he discovered that it was roughly the size of his fist . . . and still extremely sore . . .

Standing up carefully, he stood up and looked around. He seemed to be in a sparse room. His glider lay against a heavy door. A dim light shined from the walls behind him, casting out an eerily soft glow.

Looking in front of him, he tried to find a window, to try and confirm or dispute his fear.

He turned around and screamed . . .

At the terrorizing sight of the fire nation symbol emblazed on the wall.

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A beautiful water tribe girl stood against a railing of a fire nation ship. Her dark locks were waving in the wind, and seemed to hide the troubled look in her eyes.

It was such an ethereal sight, actually. The moon was already almost finishing it's waning phase, leaving it's watchers a crescent shape to marvel and behold.

_In a few days . . . my power will be at its weakest. . . _

_I need to make sure Aang's OK by then._

Her eyes, hidden, were filled with great worry, as she pondered the outcome of the last several days.

Ten feet away, her brother's head was filled with many of the same thoughts, as multiple strategies, tactics, and plans ran through his turbulent mind. His eyes searched the skies as well, longing for an answer to how in the world everything went the way it did . . .

How did everything even start?

"He's awake!!!"

The siblings ruminations were cut off as the Duke's loud cry got their attention.

The two quickly moved towards the entrance to the cabins. Reaching out for the handle, Sokka's hand was almost ripped off in a turbulent burst of wind. His body was thrown back as the door was almost forced off of its hinges.

Through the dust, Katara could make out the limp figure of their hero tackle through the door in a panic.

"Aang, wait!"

However, it seemed that words would not reach him at this point. As a violent wave crashed into the side of the ship, the panicked avatar bent a vast portion of it into a defensive circle around his form.

Katara could see the panic in the scene. It was in the speed that the water was being bent. It was in the defensive stance that he took, not allowing for any weakness. But mostly, it was in the enraged look in his eyes.

"WHERE ARE THEY!?!"

He punctuated the statement with a wave of water that tore a massive gash on the deck and port side.

"WHERE ARE MY FRIENDS?!!" he reiterated, this time, unknowingly dashing towards a suspicious looking "soldier".

"Easy Aang . . ."

Slender, tan arms encircled his form, and the one voice that could have pierced his haze of anger brought him back to sanity.

"Katara . . ."

And just like that, the world became black again.

* * *

_Uncle . . ._

Matured eyes opened to the sight of the moon, contemplating their actions.

"Lighten up, would you?"

Breaking them out of their revere, the scarred face of the banished prince turned to see the one that held a flame for him even through years of banishment. Of lost honor. . .

He turned away from her, shuddering under the cold ocean breeze. It was horrid. Every time he closed his eyes, all he would see is the sight of his uncle's face in that crystalline mine. The gaunt wrinkles on his face, every line, and every thought on one singular emotion.

Guilt.

_SLAP_

"You're being emo again."

Shaking his head clear of his thoughts, his rationality was lost to the breeze as his lips were captured by the being beside him. Hardened arms embraced her, clinging, desperate; holding on to an anchor to his mentality.

"Aren't you cold?"

A brief shudder escaped his control, and she took the opportunity to wrap a scarlet cloak around him.

"I've just got a lot on my mind . . . It's been so long since I've been home. I wonder what's changed? I wonder how the country's been? I wonder . . . I wonder how my father is . . ."

An exasperated sigh escaped her, followed by a soft punch in the shoulder.

"Geez, I asked if you were cold, not for your life story."

A soft glare backwards let her know that he was being serious, and she held him slightly tighter for it.

"It'll be OK, Zuko. I promise."

And in the depths of his heart, Zuko fervently prayed to Agni that it would be.

However, fate, as it does with all things, would not let happiness come as easy as that.

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"I don't get it. Why are we on a fire nation ship? Where did all these people come from? Why in the world am I the only one confused?"

"You've been out of it for a long time Aang. As soon as I healed you, you fell into some kind of weird trance. . . A lot's happened in the 2 weeks that you've been unconscious . . ."

Anger filled him, like he's never felt before, and he demanded answers."Like what Katara? I'm the Avatar and I'm apparently the only one in the dark! It's time someone told me what's going on!"

A grim look passed on her face, and she regretted her statement. But he was right. He had every right in the world to know what was happening.

"We stuck around Ba Sing Se for a while after we lost. Even though I healed you, we still couldn't move you since you were bleeding pretty heavily. The spirit water healed your internal injuries, but we thought it would be best to stay for a while until the would closed up better. So the five of us and Bosco hid in a cave on the plateaus around the great wall.

"Three days afterwards, soldiers poured into the city like flames onto rock. The Dai Lee, which Azula controlled, opened the door for them themselves . . . They betrayed their own people. They brought the entire western wall down Aang. After that . . . After that, all hell broke loose."

"What happened?!" His eyes were captivated, and fearful.

Wiping tears from her face, she fought hard to continue her story. "The civilians happened. Ba Sing Se had always been a refuge city, so a fair few of them knew what was happening. It was magnificent at first; all the men rallied quickly. What was left of Jet's group had apparently been gathering them up ever since he died in Lake Logai. They marshaled quickly and were ready for battle in ten minutes at the most. Sokka, Toph and I were ready to join them. We were so happy, we thought we had a chance to keep Ba Sing Se free!

"As we made our way down the mountain, the fire benders started firing. Air ships appeared. In a matter of 30 minutes, a proud force of 500 people were crushed. I watched an innocent girl get scorched to death by three benders. Even Long Feng, who somehow escaped prison, was taken out. At the time, the earth king was in the city trying to rally some of the remaining soldiers to fight. He tried to stop them from fighting, saying that they couldn't stop an army that size . . . He ran out in front of them, and was the first to die by their flames.

Sobbing openly, she needed to pause in order to form her words. "When we got there, we rescued The duke, and pipsqueak. . . we found Longshot dead. Killed by five spears to his back. It was horrible."

Unimaginable grief coursed through Aang, and the rest of the ship. It was unbelievable.

Wiping off her tears, Katara put a façade back on for the rest of her surrogate family. "Come on Aang, we need to get that healed up. And we have to do something about you long hair."

"I HAVE HAIR?!"

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"We give you your prince: ZUKO!!!"

A roar of approval came, thundering the halls of the imperial castle. It was his. His glory was back to him. His honor returned. And yet somehow . . . something was still missing.

Was it regret that made him feel this way? Guilt over abandoning someone who gave him a chance? Perhaps over leaving his uncle to the mercy, or rather lack thereof, of Azula.

Either way . . . something was quite wrong.

"Zuko"

Turning quickly to his side was the ever stoic Azula. It bothered him sometimes, her cold demeanor. How she could always suppress any emotion that she had to focus completely on her own goals. He envied it.

"In two weeks time, you need to manage the palace. I have to go do rounds at the border of the ships."

And as quickly as she came, she left.

* * *

He felt so useless. All through the battle, he couldn't manage to even get out of the door without being blocked by Sokka. He couldn't help them as the ship's engines were blown out, which was the reason they were stopped at this God forsaken port anyway. He couldn't help them when the sea serpent attacked. Hell, he couldn't even help when the hull developed a hole in it!

Was he so useless these days? First Ba Sing Se, and now this damn ship?!

The loud creaking of the door split his ruminations as Katara's voice wandered in.

"Aang, we're going into the port shops for some food, do you want anything?"

Thinking that anything would be better than waiting in this creaking, dingy, and leaking rust boat, he was quick to reply in the positive.

"Wait." Came the ever tactician. He took Aang's glider and placed it against the wall. Then he removed a ribbon from his pocket and gave it to Aang.

"What's this for?" came the confused response.

"Use this to cover up your arrow."

"I'm NOT going outside if I can't wear my arrow with pride."

"Aang, stop being so difficult! You know we need to keep you a secret from the fire nation!"

"Then I guess I'll stay here then!!" The reply was furious, and for some reason, the very thought that he had to keep inside revolted Aang.

Throwing the ribbon on the floor, Sokka promptly gave Aang the one fingered salute and stomped out the door, nearly smashing it closed before Toph could get out. Katara remained, her head downcast as she looked over at her hero. What happened to him?

"Aang . . . I know why you don't want to go out there. I know you don't want people to think you've failed. But that doesn't mean you should get angry at us . . ."

"I know I don't want people to think I've failed, but that's the problem!! I DID!!! I failed 100 years ago, I almost failed at the north pole, and I just failed now!!" The thought was punctuated with a punch to the hull that put a firm dent in the steel.

"Aang, that's not true . . ."

"It is true! I was there Katara! I can't just say that I was frozen to stop it this time! I had the chance to keep the city free and I failed. And now the city's fallen for good . . ."

"But it's not for good. There's still a plan! The invasion . . .!"

Accenting his rage, he took hold of the fire nation tapestry and tore. "I hate the invasion plan to! What happens if I fail then?! What happens when Iroh's not there to save you after I fall?! What happens if I lose you?!"

"Aang . . ."

"I've always known that I'd have to face the fire lord. But now I know I need to do it alone. I need to win Katara. I need the world to be free. I need my honor back."

" . . . ?!" She needed to hold him. To hug him. To make it known that he didn't need to worry and that everything would be okay.

"Katara please," his words stop her actions and his look paralyzes her, "I need to be alone right now."

Faltering under his gaze, she drops her extended hand. She turns away slowly, and exits, closing the large metal door with a quiet utterance of his name leaving a resounding echo in his chamber.

Minutes passed, and Aang sensed that Katara left the boat, following the rest of the crew in order to get supplies and food. The only sound that remained was the incessant dripping of the water.

Glancing outside, he made his decision.

He grabbed his glider, previously forgotten on the cold steel floor and exited the room.

_To be continued . . ._


End file.
